Goodbye to Glass Slippers
by InnocentDiamond
Summary: Invitations to Winter Ball led him to find true love and her to experience true freedom, but all that ended when midnight struck and shattered this dream. These glass slippers now have a mind of their own, and this girl can't stay loyal to her godmother forever anymore.
1. One Fateful Night

_Cinderella..._

_Always the pitiful girl who got picked on by her stepmother and stepsisters._

_Always the obedient girl who did what she's told without questioning._

_Always the purest girl who never desired anything else beyond her daily needs._

_And always the cursed girl who suffered this underserved fate for generations._

_One person's curse is another's desire._

_But this centuries-long line of tragedy has to end here._

_Now._

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

It's been almost an hour since Winter Ball started, but everyone was still lively and full of energy as if the dance just started. Invitations were mailed to a long list of people, but only a small fraction of the invited people arrived. Why so little? Not sure. None of the guests would've cared anyway. Besides, less guests meant more food for themselves.

"Alice! I can't believe you're here!" A silver-haired girl ran over to her redhead friend. "You never come to Winter Ball. What changed your mind this time?"

"Originally, my aunt wanted me to stay home, but she had to work overtime last minute and said I could come." She grabbed and waved the skirt of her dress gently. "That's why my attire looks last minute. I wasn't expecting this. Definitely violates your code of dress, right Julie?"

"Come on! It's a special case. I'll let it go _just_ this once."

"Alice, is that you?!" Another girl ran over as she tried to keep her blue twintails from flying. "You look so different! Did you curl your hair? What make up are you using? Where did you get this dress?"

"And I thought I was the obsessed fashion addict." Julie muttered.

"I only washed and blow-dried my hair and used rouge and soft lipstick for make up. The dress is borrowed. Anyway, why are you all so interested that came to Winter Ball today? I've been to other dances before."

"A _long _time ago." Runo complained. "And those dances were simple ones that our community held, like a we-love-our-neighbors thing. _This_ is someone else's private party. Even _Dan_ came."

"You're not serious, are you?" Julie asked.

"_Very_ serious is the term. I think I saw Ace introducing Mira to some of his friends. That's why she's occupied and not with us."

"I saw Chan earlier but don't know where she is now."

"I thought I saw some guy spill liquids on her dress. She's probably washing her dress in the bathroom." Runo shook her head and clicked her tongue. "I feel bad for her."

"Now that's _terrible_ timing. Club soda usually removes stains." Julie saw a waiter and grabbed three glasses of cider of the tray. "I hope you don't mind that I take these. Runo, Alice, a glass for each of you."

"Thanks, Julie."

"What is this?" Alice titled the glass around. "I hope it's not-"

"It's not alcohol. It's apple cider." Julie laid an arm on Alice shoulder and explained, "Alice, it's _okay_ to break the rules once in a while. No one's counting except you."

"Technically, we're still underage by a year."

"Oh, come on! Where's your party spirit? You should have fun."

"First of all, Julie. This is not a _party_. It is a formal ball." Even Alice couldn't help but bring a few laughs into her argument. "Second of all, I don't think I can bear to live with the guilt of drinking before I'm of legal age. Runo, say something!"

"I actually agree with Alice about drinking, but agree with Julie more about partying. Alice, you haven't been to an event like this in ages. Have fun, as Julie says. Besides, remember what Chan did during Thanksgiving Ball? She actually argued with Joe in front of everyone about whether a man or woman should cut the turkey."

"_That_ was the most ridiculous yet most enjoyable argument I've ever seen. And they completely ignored the waiter or waitress who was originally supposed to cut it!"

"I'm pretty sure that's why they argued in the first place..."

"Oh. Yeah. Makes sense now." Julie noticed Alice looking the other way and tapped her shoulder. "Alice, you want to find Dan and the others with us?"

"Sure, I'd-" Suddenly she froze at a thought and shook her head. "Sorry, I can't. When there are too many people, I-"

"It's okay." Runo answered. "You can always come by whenever you want. See you later."

"Oh, and you need to get a boyfriend soon. I'll introduce people to you after I've verified which of Dan's friends meet the criteria." Julie added.

"Bye! And Julie, don't waste your time." By then, Julie was long gone. Alice stared at the glass of sparkling yellow apple cider, tinted with a slight shade of red that her keen eyes noticed immediately. She sniffed the cider and noticed a rosy fragrance to it. Only a tiny sip touched her tongue and went down her mouth. _It's sweet...too sweet. And it smells like roses. I shouldn't be drinking or near this at all._

She looked over her shoulder in the same direction she was staring at earlier for a moment and went to throw the cider away.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"This is your best chance as finding your future wife."

"That's so dramatic and discouraging."

Dan and Shun couldn't reach equal terms on how attending Winter Ball was beneficial. Dan was here because all his friends and girlfriend were here. Shun was here because Dan dragged him here. Because of the importance and reputation of his family and background, Shun had been through numerous blind dates set up by his mother that he's literally tired of girls. Of course, not including his female friends.

"Dan!" Runo came over with Julie and gave him a hug. "Billy, Ace, Mira, Shun. Nice to see you all. Mira, how do you like it here so far?"

"It's nice. I had no idea that someone would have the time to plan such a huge dance with intentions of inviting at hundred of people. But like what Ace said, about slightly more than a hundred came. Do you know who's hosting this?"

"The invitation only said the time, day, address, attire, and food for the night. No names other than ours." Ace replied. "Shun, when are you going to bring a lady friend over to Winter Ball?"

"Oh!" Billy suddenly smacked his head. "You know, every time each of us starting dating, the first dance that we attended together is always Winter Ball. Julie and I were last year, Runo and Dan the year before..."

"Mira and Ace this year." Dan concluded. "And if all goes well, we'll be expecting _someone_ over there to be _not_ single by next year's Winter Ball, even if it's a year away."

"Forget you. I'm leaving." Shun argued.

"And before you leave, can you drink this cider for me? It's so tangy that it makes me feel like vomiting."

"Whatever." Already having an untouched glass of apple cider in one hand, Shun walked over and took Dan's, which was just as full as when he grabbed it over a waiter's tray. _Waste of good food._ He drank Dan's glass and held onto his untouched glass. _This __**is**__ really tangy, but not to the point of throwing up._

After finishing the last drops, he placed the empty glass on a tray at the side table for empty glasses and accidentally knocked over some other glass of cider. "Darn it! I'm so sorry for spilling that, Miss. Here. You can have mine. I didn't drink it-"

"It's okay. I didn't want to drink it anyway." The girl looked over at the toppled beverage glass and then the boy next to her, brushing her red hair aside. "Actually, I _shouldn't_ be drinking it. At least the tablecloth's waterproof."

Something about her was different. _Never have I seen a girl so straight-forward. Runo and other girls might frustrate over how to fix a simple mess, but she treated it like nothing._ But it wasn't the fact that she acted indifferently that drew him in. "Actually, being waterproof might be a bad things because the liquid just sits there."

"At least you don't have to wash it in a washer." She grabbed a few napkin and soaked the spill. "You don't have to worry about the mess. I'll take care of it."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. Go back and have fun."

_She's really different. _As Shun watched her clean up the mess, a man at the stair balcony resounded the bell and made an announcement. "Now is the hour in which we will switch out the appetizers for dessert. Enjoy this music as we change the dishes."

"Great! Time to dance!" Dan called to Shun from the fountain, "Sorry man. You can't join us if you don't have a dance partner."

"Alice, I left my makeup bag at the roast pork table. Can you watch it for me?" Runo asked.

"Yeah, Dan. Like I care."

"I see it, Runo. I'll give it to you later."

Shun put his glass in a corner that wasn't easily seen, and Alice walked over to ther oast pork to pick up Runo's makeup bag. After watching her for a moment longer, he asked, "Can I have this dance?"

"D-Dance?" Alice tightened her grip on the makeup bag. "I don't know..."

"Is it because you don't know me well that you don't want to? That was Runo who called you, right? He's my best friend's girlfriend. I guess we're not that unfamiliar at all. I'm surprised that despite we haven't met despite our mutual friends."

"I know, but still. I don't think I should." After a long silence, Alice asked, "Why me?"

"Because you look lonely."

Alice tensed.

"And that...you're _different_."

Then she froze.

"Well?"

She blinked her eyes for a while and shrugged, offering her unoccupied hand to him. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to have just _one_ dance..."

Little did they know that they were being watched by a woman from the stair balcony the whole time.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

Despite having mutual friends, Shun and Alice were rather different, but both had similar stories.

"You're saying that I'm different compared to the girls your mother tries to match you up with?"

"Sort of, because when I met them, they already had a purpose in mind of making an impression on me. You, however..." Shun looked down and chucked. "looked like you're trying to get me out."

"Was I? That mess really wasn't your fault."

"Why do you keep saying that?" Although they both were moving as they danced, Alice's body stiffened on the inside. "I admire your code of responsibility, but you shouldn't be responsible for what others do. That only does you no good."

She shrugged her shoulders. "But I put that glass there, and you happened to come by. It's not about responsibility. It's about what happened first. Also, what make you think I was lonely? I could've been there just for a moment."

"The way you spoke said otherwise."

Alice bit her lip. "I'm not good at lying, am I?"

"I wouldn't know. You don't look like the type of person who would lie, maybe not even a white lie. Of course, I just met you..." Shun's voice started trailing off. "but...I don't know how to say it."

"It's okay. I'm not much of a social person, but if given a choice, I wouldn't mind being around you."

"Same here." Shun chuckled to her giggles. "If my mom gave me a choice, I certainly would choose you over those other girls."

Alice froze for the third time tonight.

"For real. I'm serious."

She faced away from Shun. "As much as I don't want to say it, I don't think you have much choice."

"I know. If my mom knew that her method doesn't work, then I'd be able to fall in love with someone freely at my own will."

Alice ached at the thought what he said but had her eyes fixed on the stair balcony. "Neither do I."

"What?" After that, a dark shadow flew past the ceiling of the mansion. "Dang. What was that?"

"It's her." Alice held Shun's hand tightly and quivered. "The absolute reason why we don't have a choice."

"Is it really that difficult to love someone?" he asked, his voice gradually softening.

She stared into his amber eyes _and_ at the woman on the balcony. "As difficult as getting freedom for self for once."


	2. Destined Curse

Alice shoved Runo's makeup bag into Shun and made a run for it. "Wait! What's wrong?!"

"_Don't_ follow me. Please." Shun knew Alice was serious, but he couldn't just stand there and do nothing . The giant clock above the balcony struck twelve for midnight. "No...not now..."

"What happened?"

Alice insisted on staying away from Shun. "You really shouldn't come any closer, or else she'll-"

"Cinderella...where are you...?" said the spying woman from the stair balcony as the dark smoke dissipated. She clapped her hands and announced, "Let the magic begin!" Three other girls who were dancing with their partners suddenly turned into glass while Alice emitted a soft glow, which she covered up with her jacket. "I know you're here somewhere..."

_This is over. Everything is over. I can't hide this any longer. _Alice held her breath and closed her eyes. "Glasscherben Schuhe."

Every article of glass except for the three glass maidens shattered. Luckily, no one alive was hurt, but everything else was severely damaged. Dan courageously flew past bits of glass and grabbed all his friends. "Let's calm down and proceed to the front door to exit! I don't know what's going on, but we must get out Immediately!"

Shun ran up to Dan and handed him the makeup bag. "Give this to Runo and get them out first. I'll stay and escort everyone."

"Got it. Ace, Runo, you guys! This way!"

Everyone ran to the door rather orderly, and once the dance hall was clear, Shun grabbed Alice's wrist and dragged her outside. "Come on, it's not safe here."

"Not safe for _you_, but I've been through this endless times."

"But how? Isn't this your first time here?"

Once they exited the front doors, Alice pulled her hand away from Shun quickly. "You'll never understand. To me, this was inevitable since the beginning. I shouldn't have come here in the first place."

"But then you and I wouldn't have-"

"Sure, we wouldn't have met, but we _just_ met! It's not that simple. I myself caused all the glass to explode by chanting just two words. You don't want to get any closer to me." Alice turned around and watched the glass explosions die down. "She'll be here any minute. I can't stay anymore."

"Who is 'she'? I saw someone come out when the clock struck midnight. Three girls turned into glass, and you glowed softly."

"Don't ask." Suddenly, a purple aura of distorted light surrounded the mansion and crept up to the sky into an aurora. "All I know that once this has started, it won't end soon."

Shun reach out for her hand again, but she pulled back once more. "Sorry, but can't I at least help you?"

"There's nothing that you can do." Seeing the undying persistence on his face, Alice asked him quietly, "Love at first sight for you, isn't it?"

"Not really 'first sight', but definitely 'first encounter'. I really wish we both had more of a choice."

"Good." That brought a smile of relief to her face, which relieved Shun too, but then she said, "Forgive me then."

"What are you-"

"Aschenputtels letzter Ausweg."

This time, Alice glowed even brighter than ever, and she aimed that yellow light at the mansion to counter the purple aurora. "If you really do care, then you'll definitely go find me." After a moment of extreme brightness, Shun unconsciousness and collapsed.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Shun! There you are!"

Dan and Ace rushed through the thick foliage of potted plants and found Shun lying down on the ground. "Dan, I don't think he's waking up anytime soon. Let's take him back."

"Right behind you." The boys carried Shun like he was a stretcher outside the metal gate. "His nose is twitching! He's conscious!"

"What...am...I...doing...here...?"

"You don't remember?" Dan waved his hand over Shun's face. "How are feeling, Shun?"

Shun sat up and pounded his head.The bright light from before still burned in his mind. "Really lost. What's going on?"

Julie ran over and hugged him tightly. "Thank goodness you're okay! You told Dan that you'd escort everyone out, and we got scared because some stuff fell and blocked the path before you came out. You were unconscious for a while."

"Unconscious?" Suddenly, everything came back to him as he gasped in shock. "I hope no one else is hurt. Alice is still-"

"It's okay. Nobody's hurt. Not a single bruise or cut on anyone, but they're rather traumatized." Dan reassured. "Speaking of Alice, where is she?"

"I fell unconscious, and she must've ran off or something. I didn't see her." Shun cringed at a headache. "It's still all a blur to me."

"Alice ran off?!" Runo exclaimed, running over to Shun with her makeup bag still in her hand. "Don't tell me this is true! Why on earth would do this?!"

Julie dragged Runo away and yelled, "Girl, calm down! Maybe Alice went home already. You know how her aunt is. Just leaving the party before her curfew is up."

"Yeah, maybe she just want to get back home on time." Ace added. "Speaking of home, Mira and I should get going. Mira, let's go."

"The sooner the better. Call us if you need anything, okay?"

"We will. Head home safely!" Julie reassured. "Did Alice just run off or told you ahead of time?"

_Alice is one of their closest friends, so how is a person barely close to her like me going to tell them that she kept talking strangely and disappeared without a trace?_ "I don't remember. Alice seemed agitated and eager to leave. Maybe I wasn't walking fast enough here, and she got impatient and left. I'm sorry if I caused any trouble."

"It's not your fault, Shun. Her aunt Clara can be stingy and strict at times, but we just went through a traumatic accident. She's probably scared to death as well."

_If only you knew that she was the one who caused the accident, you wouldn't be saying this, Julie._ "We should all just go home. Tonight has been too hectic. Who knows what's going to happen next if we stay?"

Dan nodded. "Shun's right. Just pretend nothing happened and go home." The crowd soon dispersed, but Shun and Dan stayed behind to watch everyone go. "And to think you were just getting interested in her, too. This is just so crazy."

"Dan, don't even talk about it. She is out of the ordinary compared to other girls, but there's something seriously not right about her."

"Alice can be conservative at times, but if there is something wrong, she would tell us."

"I don't think she ever spoken to you in deep sentences-"

The brunette slammed his hands on Shun's shoulders and shook his friend. "You must've hit your head big time, dude. Alice is probably home with her aunt, possibly being yelled at because of curfew. If you miss her that much, I ask Runo and see if she can set up a-"

"No thanks, Dan. I'm going home."

"Fine by me." Dan removed his hands and walked away. Shun sighed and checked the time. _Twenty after midnight. Alice, where are you?_

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Sweetie, where are you?"

Alice finished dusting the ceiling fan and threw the feather attachment away. "Just finished dusting. What do you need, Aunt Clara?"

"My coworkers and I will be out for dinner. You'll be home alone. Think you can handle that?"

"S-Sure. I'll cook whatever I want for. What time are you coming back?"

"Presumably very late. Sorry sweetie." Aunt Clara slung her bag over her shoulder and gave Alice a kiss on the forehead. "I'm going to work now. Don't forget to tidy up the rest of the house."

"Yes, Aunt Clara. Have a nice-"

"Wait." Alice completely froze at the interruption. "Your Aunt Emily said that your cousins also went to the Winter Ball but haven't come back. Have you seen them?"

"N-No. I was with my friends and left early."

"Really? Never mind. Take care of yourself." Alice waved her aunt goodbye and proceeded with the housework. By the time she finished her chores, it was noon. As Alice ate last night's lasagna for lunch, she noticed her glass vial necklace she hooked onto the coat hanger earlier.

_Should I or should I not?_

For a quarter hour, Alice tapped the end of her fork on the table every second, until she slammed it on the table. _I can't do this any longer. Aunt Clara won't be home until after midnight. That should give me all the time I need._

She gathered some items into small sling purse and opened the front door. _I have to make sure they're alright, even though I already know what happened._ Alice held the glass vial of her necklace to her forehead and muttered to herself, "Here goes nothing..."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

By then, most people forgot about the Winter Ball accident. Shun was returning home from another date his mother set up but suddenly got pounced on by Dan. "What the heck was that for? You almost broke my collarbone!"

"Oops. Didn't mean to do that. Where were you earlier?"

"Another pointless date. By the way, have you seen Alice?" Dan face turned blank, and Shun glared at him upsettingly. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"None of us have seen her since Winter Ball. Where _would _she go?"

"I'm asking you because you guys know her better."

"Then I really can't help you. You sure she ran off first before you? What if she got knocked out as well but we didn't find her? My gosh, this is all my fault then!"

"Dan, calm down. Maybe she's extremely tired and resting at home. Look, I need to go home, and so do you. Have a nice day." With Dan gone, Shun began worrying about whether Dan was right or not. _What if she never left the mansion vicinity at all? But why__** would**__ she stay at somewhere she didn't like?_

Hunch or not, Shun was now determined to go back to the mansion where the Winter Ball was held.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"This wasn't supposed to happen."

Alice stood in the courtyard of the mansion grounds, staring blankly at the debris. She skipped around the rubble until she arrived at what used to be the ballroom floor. All the glass shattered into sparkling, fine pieces. _Can't believe I caused all this damage._

Not too far away were the glass maidens, frozen into upsetting poses of widened eyes and raised hands. Alice approached one wearing a pink dress and gently touched her face. "This just doesn't feel the same. What am I supposed to do now?"

"Alice!"

The redhead recognized the voice but didn't turn around, now talking to the mint-dressed glass maiden. "I miss your voices, no matter how angry you three could get at times."

Shun came closer, but Alice held up her other hand, prompting him to stop. "Why would you come back here? It's a dangerous mess."

Now Alice faced the last, yellow-dressed maiden. "I can't help it. I know what I am, and what I am is very dangerous. I have no control of it. I can't even control myself."

"Alice, are you alright? Where have you been?"

Finally, she turned around and faced Shun with watery eyes and hand still on the yellow maiden's face. "You did find me after all."

Shun breathed a sigh of relief and walked closer. "Thanks goodness you're alright, but why so sad?" He was going to wipe her tears away, but Alice held up her hand again.

"This is what will happen to anyone who gets too close with me. Most of them turn into glass. Solid, translucent..." She paused to let go of her hand. "...and lifeless." Suddenly, her glass vial necklace flashed a gray light. "I don't believe it."

"What?"

Alice held the vial up closer to Shun, causing it to flash even faster. "You're the one who can break my curse."


	3. Mirror World

"You're the one who can break my curse..."

Shun looked down at the gray, glass vial on Alice's necklace that blinked faster as it came closer to him. "What's that supposed to mean? What exactly happened to your cousins?"

"It wouldn't be the first time. I want to prevent other girls from ending up like my glass cousins."

"If you're the one with the curse, then why did they become ? Who else will be a future victim?"

"The four of us were orphans and lived with our distant Aunt Clara. She wasn't rich, but earned enough money to raise us. Few days before Winter Ball, a woman heard about our financial predicament and gave us four sets of dresses and glass slippers to wear to the ball. I returned my set back because Aunt Clara said I need to stay behind and watch the house."

"But you came anyway."

"After she said last minute that she had overtime and could let me go. Thus I took an old dress and refashioned it. Later during the ball, the clock twelve for midnight, and my cousins all turned to glass. I bet those clothes were cursed, and I was this close to become glass, too." _But I already know I wouldn__'t._

"Would this woman be the same woman who watched and spoke eerily from the balcony? I'll break your curse no matter what."

"But Shun, even if you are the one, what can you do? You can leave you still can."

"If I wanted to leave, I wouldn't have come in the first place. Is that woman who gave you girls the dresses the same woman at the ball?"

"I suppose. I came back to find clues and saw her earlier. She's in the ballroom. Listen, you can still-"

"I am _not _leaving you."

Alice bit her lip but nodded. "I knew this necklace doesn't lie. Follow me."

After a long walk, Alice led Shun to the debris-filled ballroom. "What a mess." he noticed.

"That was my fault. I had to do something before she could do any harm."

"You did all that just by saying those few words?" _There__'__s something inexplicably__different_ _about her._

"Unbelievable, right? There it is upstairs." She ran upstairs quickly, where a tall, decorative mirror stood in the light away from the balcony. "This is it."

Shun was about to touch the glass when a bird flew above the skylight, displaying a dark image that floated across the glass with the shadow. "What was that?

"I don't know. This is her mirror. She can do anything with it."

"Who exactly _is_ she?"

Alice reached her hand slowly toward the mirror. Her fingertips glowed yellow as her reflection became distorted in a ripple effect, second after second. "It's true. She-"

"Ah, we have visitors!" Streams of dark mist exited from the shadows as a slender woman walked into the light. The orb atop the scepter in her right hand glowed blue like her blue hair. "If it isn't one of the girls who attended the ball the other night. I don't believe we've met. I'm Godmother Mylene, but I could care less about your name."

Alice gasped and hid her glowing hand behind her back. _This is my fault. I shouldn__'__t have come back in the first place, but I needed to make sure. _"You're the one who gave my cousins those dresses that turned them into glass! How could you?!"

"Don't jump to conclusions yet, sweetie. Anyone could've done that. But you're right, _I_ was the one who gave your cousins those dresses, but you should see what else I've done." Meanwhile, Alice grabbed the tiny jar on her necklace, but Mylene threw a shard of glass at the girl, cutting her fingers and the necklace chain. "Don't even try."

Alice brushed the trickling blood back up and squeezed her hands together. She felt a gust of wind behind her as her hair flew back. "What's going on?"

"Too bad you know too much already. I need to take you somewhere." Both the scepter's orb and the jewel atop the tall mirror glowed blue. As Mylene's figure disappeared before them, it reemerged in the mirror as a protruding reflection, grabbing Alice by her wounded hand. "Welcome to the Mirror World."

"Shun, keep this safe!" Alice pulled the necklace off her neck and tossed it.

"Alice, I can't! I'm going-"

"It's the key to everything! Don't follow-"

"Get out there!"

Distracted by a foreign voice, Shun diverted his attention, and Alice and Mylene entered the mirror already. The jewel completely shut down from blue to black, not before shattering the reflective glass into billions of pieces. As the glass flew everywhere, a shadow hovered over him and sent Shun tumbling down the stairs.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

Alice woke up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. She put her hand on her chest and felt that her necklace was missing. _Oh right. I gave it to Shun before I came in here._

She stood up and looked around. Trees grew everywhere along her path, all with burgundy-colored wood and sickly purple leaves. The branches bent down like arms that were about to abduct you. Despite the eerie setting, Alice remained calm.

In the distance stood a dark castle, far from where Alice currently stood. It was the only thing that stood out from all the dark trees. _It's too late. I'm already in this alternative dimension with no way out. My necklace is with Shun, and my stuff is back at the mansion. _Suddenly, crows yelled in the distance as they flew by. "Darn it!"

They flew down and pecked on Alice. She grabbed a fallen branch and swung it as them, but they wouldn't stop. They kept circling her, and the strain put on her arms opened the cuts again. _Great, I'm bleeding again. _Alice manage to hide her two bottles before someone else came over.

"Well, who do we have here?" The lost girl turned around and saw a familiar evil face. Mylene walked over and waved her scepter, casting a blue light on the branch in Alice's hand that grew and bound the bleeding hand to a tree nearby. "How easy was that?"

"What do you want to with me? Clearly, you're just as clueless about what to do as I am."

"I may not be about to do anything about you now, but I can take you in for future use. Besides," The godmother smacked Alice's forehead with the glowing scepter, knocking the girl unconscious. "I have yet to see what exactly you can do."

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"Are you alright? Please wake up!"

Shun rubbed his eyes and sat up, seeing a young brunette boy standing in front of him. "What did you just do?"

"I'm Christopher and a friend of Alice. I followed Alice here and found you instead. Do you remember anything?"

"I think so. We were just upstairs, right? The mirror shattered after Alice-" He gasped and stood up, disappointed to see nothing up on the balcony. "Alice! That 'godmother' Mylene took her."

"Godmother? I wouldn't know much about that."

"Well, at least you should know that this Winter Ball was a set up so that Mylene could capture her target, and I think she already did." He picked up a piece of glass by his feet and look up. "If the mirror up there shattered, then that means there no way in or out. At least, there's no way in for us. But that's not important. I'm curious. How exactly did you find this place?"

"I remember Alice and her aunt talking about letting Alice go to Winter Ball, so I figured she'd be here. But honestly, I don't know. I just have this feeling that she might be here, like...I can't explain it!"

Shun sighed. "It's okay. Thanks for saving me. I'm Shun, by the way. With that mirror shattered, I don't know what to do, especially since Alice gave me her necklace with the tiny jar of dust in it."

"Let me see that." Shun nodded and handed the necklace to Christopher, but upon holding it, the young boy's hand twitched and dropped it. "Oh no!"

"I got it!" Shun caught in time and breathed. "I got it...but that was really unexpected."

"I didn't mean to do that, Shun. I think I had a spasm or something."

"No worries. I caught it, that's all that matters." He held it up for him and Christopher to see, and the little jar indeed did flash faster when put close to Shun. "I'm the only one who can break Alice's curse, yet I'm doing nothing right now. _And _she's gone, too. What a bad way of protecting her."

"Alice said that? How did you two meet?"

"We met at Winter Ball. I was just there because my friend Dan dragged me here. I come from a family of high reputation, and he thought that it'd be good for me to come so I can show myself off or take time off. Then I met Alice at the beverage tables, and started talking. She was different, unlike blind dates my mom set up for me. I want to help her, but I don't know how. If only there was another mirror."

"That sounds so cool." Christopher gasped. "You're looking for mirrors?"

"That's the only that would work."

"I saw some mirrors in the fountain earlier. Maybe those will work."

"I don't know." Shun stared at the tiny jar in his hand. _Maybe that's why Alice gave me her necklace. She knew that I'd need it to activate a mirror. _"Sure, let's go."

"Follow me to the garden." Christopher led Shun out a back to through the gardens. "Actually, these may not be the mirrors you want. You want something that's not broken, don't you?"

Shun held the tiny jar at the mirrors discarded in the large square fountain. The jar glowed black but faded away. "Alice's necklace seems to say that these mirrors are useless. They all have a jewel on top like the one on the balcony, but they're all black, just like this faded-"

"Oh my love, why did you leave me?"

Both Shun and Christopher jumped back after seeing the image of a woman appearing and talking on the mirror before the illusion faded away. "Sorry, Christopher. The necklace doesn't think so, and seeing that made me have higher doubts." The moment he turned around, the tiny jar flashed red quickly. "There's another mirror, but it's not in the pool."

"I remember seeing a chopped-off tree earlier with a mirror nailed onto it. Maybe that's the one. This way." Christopher led Shun for a second time to another mirror. "What does Alice's necklace say?"

The tiny jar flashed red even faster as the mirror blinked red slowly in response. "I think this is it." Shun poked the glass, but it was solid cold. "I wonder if some dust will do."

"I just hope Alice is alright."

"I'm afraid she's not, and she might never have been alright for a moment in her life." Shun twisted the cap oped and sprinkled some dust onto the glass. Seconds later, the mirror fully glowed red, and an image of a dark forest projected from the other side. "Let's go to the Mirror World."


End file.
